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GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- In the midst of his 0-for-12 slump, Brian
Giles figured better times were ahead because he was starting to
hit the ball hard.
In the past seven games, he's let the good times roll.
Giles extended his extra-base tear by driving in four runs with
a pair of doubles and a homer as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the
Cincinnati Reds 7-3 for a rare Sunday win.
Giles' two-run double in the fifth off Elmer Dessens (5-4) put
the Pirates ahead to stay. He also doubled home a run in the third
as Pittsburgh overcame a 3-1 deficit and hit a solo homer in the
ninth, his 29th.
The outfielder is in a 14-for-28 spurt that includes 10
extra-base hits -- three doubles, three triples and four homers.
"Two weeks ago when we were in San Francisco, I was lining out
all the time," Giles said. "When you start going good, the ball
starts finding the holes for you."
Nothing good ever seems to happen for the Pirates on a Sunday.
They'd lost their last nine Sunday games since winning on June 11.
The 7-3 victory left them 4-15 on Sunday, their worst day overall.
"I don't know what we are, but for some reason we haven't
played well in Sunday day games," Giles said. "Maybe next year we
can get some ESPN Sunday night games."
Cincinnati lost for the fifth time in six games because it
couldn't take advantage of another slow start by Jose Silva (8-7).
The right-hander was rocked in his last three games, failing to
make it out of the third inning in two of them.
Bronson Arroyo started warming up in the bullpen after Dante
Bichette singled home a run and Sean Casey followed with a two-run
double in the first.
That was it as the Reds settled back into their hitting slump.
They've score more than three runs only one time in the last eight
games, a surprising problem for a team featuring Bichette and Ken
Griffey Jr.
"I thought the easiest thing for us would be scoring runs -- and
in bunches, not just three or four early and then shut it down,"
manager Jack McKeon said. "I thought we might have a romp today. I
thought we might score six or seven runs easy."
Silva, who had a 17.36 ERA in his last three starts, settled
down and gave up just four more hits. He went 5 2/3 innings overall
for his first win since July 26.
"Early in the game he was up, then he got better control of his
fastball," manager Gene Lamont said. "His breaking ball seemed to
get better as the game went on. Sometimes he battles himself, gets
in a situation and makes it worse."
Scott Sauerbeck got Griffey to hit into a double play, scuttling
a threat in the seventh, when the Pirates were holding a 5-3 lead.
Mike Williams pitched a perfect ninth as the bullpen retired the
last eight in a row.
"I thought this was going to be a high-scoring year," Reds
shortstop Barry Larkin said. "That's why baseball is such a tough
game. The things you thought were supposed to happen don't."
Both starters had lost their last three games, and neither got
off to a good start in this one, either.
The Pirates put together a walk and three hits in the first,
including Kevin Young's run-scoring single, but Giles hit into a
double play to undercut the threat. The Reds went up 3-1 in the
bottom of the inning.
Dessens, who hasn't won since July 28, walked the leadoff batter
in three of his five innings. He walked five batters overall, and
four of them scored.
Jason Kendall walked and scored on Giles' double in the third,
and Dessens opened the fifth by walking Emil Brown and Kendall. He
then fell behind in the count to Giles, who doubled to left for a
4-3 lead. Enrique Wilson's hit-and-run single drove in Giles with
two outs.
Pat Meares added a sacrifice fly in the eighth off Mark Wohlers
and Giles homered in the ninth, giving him 101 RBI for the season.
Giles drove in 115 last season, when he led the Pirates in average,
runs, homers and RBI.
"I think the good players in this game are consistent," Giles
said. "Not every year are you going to have identical numbers as
the year before but if you're in the same area and pretty
consistent, I think that's when people think of you as a good
player."
Griffey had a single and a double in four at-bats, extending his
hitting streak to six games and raising his average to a
season-high .255.
Game
notes
The Pirates are 2-4 on their nine-game trip. They've had
just one winning road trip out of their previous 10 this season.
... Giles went 2-for-3 against Dessens, leaving him 4-for-5 career
off the right-hander. ... Warren Morris was 1-for-3, leaving him in
a 3-for-25 slump. ... Reds 2B Pokey Reese missed his third
consecutive game with a tight hamstring. ... Bichette hasn't
homered since July 23, a span of 93 at-bats that is his longest of
the season. ... The Reds are the only major league team with a
losing record at home (29-32) and a winning road record (31-30).
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